


All your colours start to burn

by raininjuly



Series: Watercolours Soulmates AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi-centered, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bokuaka - Freeform, M/M, Soulmates, Swearing, akaashi is v comfortable around yaku, implied yakulev - Freeform, this is v cheesy tbh, yaku is actually akaashi's mum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4800278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininjuly/pseuds/raininjuly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh! So you met your soulmate?"</p><p>"What do you mean, Yaku-san?"</p><p>"The mark on your right side, that golden yellow thing- oh, crap"</p>
            </blockquote>





	All your colours start to burn

**Author's Note:**

> a zillion of thanks to [taylor](http://tanaka-san.tumblr.com/) & [zoe](http://sparky-sparky-boom-man122.tumblr.com/) for beta reading and editing this ♡
> 
> it was about damn time i wrote something else, so i created a soulmates au!
> 
> please enjoy

Breathe, Akaashi tells to himself. His eyes were shut, while trying to concentrate on anything other than the almost unbearable heat coming from the bodies glued to him. Nothing could be worse than this.

He already started the day in a very bad way, his alarm clock broke, ringing fifty precious minutes later. When he went to take a shower he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they hadn’t paid the gas bill. When he called for help, his roommate didn’t come; surely he was gone and supposed that Akaashi would leave later. He ended up splashing the necessary amount of cold water to clean himself and not cause himself hypothermia.

After a surprising and short fifteen minutes, he was about to grab something he could eat on the way, but oh, wonderful there wasn’t anything like a cereal bar, or a yogurt, or a single fruit, he’d have to starve until recess.

So with hurried steps and reticent attitude, he went to the metro station which was near his house and struggled to squeeze himself and get in the train car.

Usually Akaashi walked to the campus, when he had time, he tries to avoid public transport when there’s too much people because, well, he’s not a fan of situations like the one he’s in right now. He leaves the subway in mornings week for urgent cases, emergencies like this one.

He hears the name of the station; just one more stop. People move and accommodate themselves by his side. He feels someone elbows him in the ribs, but he keeps his eyes closed. He hears a voice saying “I’m so sorry!” and he just nods to let the person know he’s okay, it didn’t particularly hurt.

The train arrives to the next station and he gets off. He climbs the stairs as fast as he can, gets out of the station and runs with all his might. He realizes his stamina is not the same as before, but he makes it to the classroom, gasping, and thanks to whatever divine force that’s been laughing at him has and given him this shitty day, that at least the professor takes pity on him and lets him in forty five minutes late.

Did he mention he has a test today?

** <<<< >>>> **

“I’m home,” Akaashi says, in a monotone voice, closing the door behind him. He kneels to take off his sneakers which are soggy. Because he was more than late this morning, he couldn’t check the weather forecast and the announcement of spring rain! And he only got to put on a sweater. He hears footsteps as Yaku comes toward the front door.

“Welcome, Akaa- eh? Why are you soaking, you didn’t see the forecast?”

“I didn’t have time in the morning, I was really late. I had a terrible day, you wouldn’t want to hear about it. What I would like to know is why you didn’t tell me they shut off the gas and we basically ran out of food?” Akaashi didn’t want to sound so irritated, and he half succeeds.

“Uh, about that,” Yaku scratches the back of his head, “I wanted to tell you yesterday about the food and the gas, but I stayed at Lev’s house and my phone died. Lev doesn’t have a compatible charger, so it would be useful if you two exchanged phone numbers; you've known each other for quite some time- well, everything went wrong I guess.”

Akaashi sighs. “It’s okay, Yaku-san, I understand.”

“Though I just came back from grocery shopping and the gas is supposed to return tomorrow morning,” Akaashi smiles a little. Yaku always ends up fixing everything.

“Thank you, Yaku-san.”

“It’s nothing, you know. Since when you moved in, I told you I’d be in charge of the bills,” the older boy nods, “Oh! Take off your wet clothes before you get sick,” Yaku says and Akaashi proceeds.

“I’ll be lucky if I catch a cold,” Yaku laughs lightly.

Akaashi takes off his sweater and hands it to the other, and grabs the hem of his shirt and starts to take it off.

“Oh! So you met your soulmate?” Yaku asks, excited.

Akaashi stops; his arms mid-air, his shirt still half on, and looks puzzled at the older boy “What do you mean, Yaku-san?”

“The mark on your right side, that golden yellow thing- oh, crap.”

Akaashi is open-mouthed.

“You didn’t notice,” affirms Yaku, he shakes his head and continues to pull off his shirt to see his mark.

It’s on the right side of his torso, on the side, on his ribcage. It is, approximately, the size of a tangerine, a light yellow that blends with the tone of his skin in a nice way, he thinks of the colour of cassias, and in the center is golden with sparkles.

“Today I had to take the subway to get to the campus earlier.”

“You remember the people who were near you?”

“I was riding with my eyes closed,” Yaku sighs, as Akaashi takes off his trousers and gives them to the older boy.

“Well, it seems like you’ll have to use the subway more often to see if you bump into your soulmate,” the mere fact of thinking about it makes Akaashi cringe.

“Go to the bathroom, I’ll heat some water so you can splash it a little and get warm so you don’t get sick,” says Yaku, carrying the damp clothes.

“Thank you very much for taking care of me, Yaku-san,” Akaashi bows briefly, the older boy smiles at him and he heads to the restroom.

**< <<< >>>> **

Fate must hate him.

Finally he meets, no- rather- bumps into his soulmate, it turns out he didn't see the person because 1) there were too many people in the meeting place and 2) his eyes were fucking closed to precisely ignore said people.

He can't even call his mother —who's, all his life has been keen about the subject of her son's soulmate and when Keiji turned eighteen, she became impatient and insistent, telling him he should try more and meet new people, go to parties, have dates— to tell her 'You know, mother, I have good news; I've finally met my soulmate, but I don't know how they are, who they are, or how they look, but I bumped into them and they left the mark,’ no; that will not happen.

Honestly, Akaashi has never been very interested in the subject of soulmates.

They taught him in elementary school that there was a person intended for you and you would love them unconditionally and spend the rest of your life with them. They also taught him about marks and how the colours represent the purest core of every person and temporary marks or stains and how they could be controlled with medicines, but shouldn't be overused because it could damage your health.

He just accepted that information and he wasn't even sure he understood half of the concepts that were talked about; he was only a child. He was always thinking there were more interesting things that required his attention, like cartoons or flowers.

In middle school his classmates talked about how they imagined their perfect better half and surprisingly, there were some that have already met them. But Akaashi was too engrossed in murder books, mystery books, and flowers, still.

When he started high school, his friends and classmates, the majority had already met their partner and never stopped talking about them or being with them. Fortunately, the ones that were still alone weren't discriminated against; neither were they mocked about it. Instead, they received help from the ones who didn't have to search, with social gatherings, blind dates, and more. Akaashi had been invited to these events, but he was too focused on studying and getting good grades... and flowers.

And after twenty two years, he meets with his intended person and he doesn't even know what they look like. Fantastic, isn't it?

He sighs loudly and turns to right, covering himself to his shoulder with the sheets. Patience, all in good time.

**< <<< >>>> **

The next day Yaku suggests he goes to the station.

“Who knows, maybe you’re lucky and bump into your person,” he says while he does the washing up. Akaashi takes a wet plate and dries it with a cloth. He wants to laugh at the word ‘lucky.’

“I don’t think so, I have an essay for Monday and it’s only half done,” he puts the plate in the kitchen cabinet and rubs his left eye with the palm of his hand to wake himself more.

He and Yaku have the habit of waking up early on Saturdays and have breakfast together, unless one of them is staying out —which is usually Yaku, for obvious reasons— always telling the other beforehand. On good mornings, they go for a jog together.

“You’re staying in all day?” asks Yaku, washing the last spoon.

“Yes,” Akaashi says, as he puts the rest of the crockery and cutlery inside the cabinets.

“Fine. Today I’m meeting up with Kai and Kuroo to study, then later I’m visiting Lev for a while. If you want to, when I return at night, we can continue watching that horrible tv show you like so much,” Yaku hands him the spoon, with fake disgust on his face.

He laughs “It’s not horrible. Maybe the gore is, but you have to admit that the plot and stories are brilliantly intriguing.”

“Yeah, okay I’ll give you that… and also that the main character’s pretty hot.”

Akaashi laughs again “Yeah, that too.”

“Well, I’m gonna take a shower,” says the older boy, leaving the kitchen. Akaashi heads to his room and starts to make his bed.

**< <<< >>>> **

Around seven p.m. Akaashi can breathe, relieved, because he finished his essay. He leaves the printer in his bedroom to work on the seventeen-paged monster.

He goes out to the balcony with a jar to water the flowers. First the lantanas, then the sweet peas and finally the freesias. He takes a deep breath of fresh air before entering the apartment again.

He goes back to his bedroom and lays on his bed, his report still being printed. He starts drawing circles on his stomach, his other hand behind his head, and staring at the ceiling.

He lifts his shirt, exposing his mark. He then raises his head to see it and touches it with his fingers. Of all the marks he’s seen in his life, he has never seen one that sparkled. It’s not like he knows a lot of people, either.His soulmate must be a very unique and particular person. What kind of person can be represented by golden? A very cheerful and energetic one, possibly. But he has to consider the light yellow around it, too. So, they can be calm. But there are many people who are like that, Akaashi thinks.

He wonders what colour he left on the person’s skin. Probably cold colours, like shades of purple, maybe greens; something dull compared to the singularity he has on his skin. This person must be special. The intrigue and curiosity begin to grow.

The printer stops making noises indicating that its work is done and Akaashi stands up to put his essay in a folder.

**< <<< >>>> **

The memory comes to him like an electrical shock, he jumps a little from where he sits and startles Yaku.

“Wh-what’s wrong, Akaashi?!” Yaku turns to look at him.

Of course! How could he be so stupid? It was obvious that his soulmate is the person who elbowed him that morning and said sorry before getting off.

“- Akaashi, answer me,” now, paying attention to his friend, Akaashi looks at the older boy.

“Yaku-san, I’m an idiot,” he tells the other one, as a smile starts to form on his lips.

“Uh, why exactly?” Yaku looks at him, confused.

“My soulmate is the person who hit me in the subway.”

“Wait, what? They hit you? The person who is supposed to love you unconditionally for the rest of your life, hits you before even knowing you properly?” Akaashi laughs a little.

“No, Yaku-san, it’s just that they were getting out and passed by my side and to get off they accidentally elbowed me. It didn’t hurt, though, and they even apologized,” he explains.

“Oh, now that makes more sense. That’s good, now you have to search in a more concentrated amount of people. So what did their voice sound like? Was it, apparently, a man or a woman?”

“It was-“ Akaashi tries to remember, but nothing came.

“Ugh, Akaashi, how you don’t remember their voice? How could you not tell a feminine voice from a masculine one? It’s like you are the one putting in all these silly complications,” Yaku says half joking.

Akaashi has nothing to say in his defense; that day, he was seriously disconnected from the world, apparently.

He turns to look at the screen, a bit discouraged. He thought the memory would help.

“Hey, come on, don’t look so down. Now you know you have to look at elbows,” Yaku comforts him, placing a hand on his shoulder. It does help cheer him up, and he turns around to look at his friend.

“Yeah, you’re right, Yaku-san, thank you for helping me,” the older one smiles at him.

“You’ll have to be in search of the mysterious elbow,” Yaku jokes and Akaashi laughs, heartily, “Well, well, let’s rewind the episode, I don’t want to miss a second of this festival of blood and cannibalism."

**< <<< >>>> **

During the week, Akaashi decides to try something that could possibly be one of his worst nightmares: physical contact with strangers.

“I think it’s the weirdest thing coming from you, but it could work,” Yaku tells him, amused, while he chews on his toast.

“Although we know that the mark is on an elbow, at this hour, it’s too cold to wear short sleeves, the stains would show on your hand even if your soulmate’s body part was covered. So basically, you’ll have to draw your hand close to their arm or back or whatever.”

“ _Basically_ ” Akaashi repeats bitterly.

“It could be so much worse, it’s not like you’ll have to touch their butt,” Yaku snickers.

“Ugh, Yaku-san, please,” said Akaashi, feeling disgusted.

“You have to try, Akaashi,” Yaku says, as he drinks the last of his coffee.

**< <<< >>>> **

Just barely touch some part of a body which isn’t forbidden or embarrassing and see if the colour appears in my hand. Just that, he repeats to himself before entering the train car which, luckily, isn’t so busy today.

When he gets in, he discreetly reaches for arms or torsos of people who are nearest to him, touching lightly. People around my age more or less, Akaashi reminds himself.

A girl with glasses and black hair wearing a burgundy sweater. No.

A very tall boy listening to music pretty loudly and a black sweatshirt. No.

A girl who is reading a book very near to her face. Akaashi looks at her hands, fingers stained with white and pastel pink. No.

Finally, he stands by the doors. By his side there’s a boy shorter than him, who’s playing on his phone and has brown hair. Akaashi is about to make a subtle move, but realizes the boy is wearing a school uniform. Probably not, Akaashi says to himself and rests his head against the door.

**< <<< >>>> **

He decides to try again one morning. Nothing. He does is again that day in the evening peak hour. He has no luck. He gets home feeling a little sad.

Akaashi asks Yaku if he believes his soulmate is trying to find Akaashi as much as he is trying to find them. While Akaashi had to leave his comfort zone and do things that makes him uncomfortable. Yaku answers that he hopes they are making some kind of sacrifice, too.

Yaku has lime green and light emerald stains on his hands and lips, a kiss marked on his forehead. Akaashi feels his chest clench.

**< <<< >>>> **

He spends a few days in his room, only getting out to water his beloved flowers, observe them a little, eat something and go to the bathroom. Yaku lets him be.

**< <<< >>>> **

It had been almost three weeks and nothing had happened. Today, he’s meeting up with Sarukui and Komi at Onaga’s place, but he has to take the subway to get there since it’s far away.

He hasn’t come to the station since his last failed attempt, so he decided to avoid the subway again because he felt tired.

Because it’s the weekend, it is moderately busy. It’s hot and that means visible elbows, so Akaashi is alert to any potential marks anyways.

He sits and observes the passengers passing by. There are several parents with their children, enjoying the weekend and the nice weather. There are even some elderly couples and individuals. Akaashi notices one in particular; an old man with a light blue mark on his forearm, pale and faded. Akaashi feels sorry for him.

He looks at the rest of the people in the train car, who aren’t much. There’s no one his age who has any visible marks, all of them have the trace of their soulmates: orange lips, lilac and red hands, a fuchsia hand on a shoulder.

Akaashi can’t stop himself from sighing, seeing all that people who are complete, makes him feel envious like he’s never felt before.

The train stops at a station, and the doors close; the train starts again and he hears a guy talking through the speaker and Akaashi can only beg that it isn’t one of those guys who ask people for a word to improvise and rap about it. Akaashi had seen it once and he felt so much secondhand embarrassment, that he was about to get off at the next station just so he could stop listening how the man rapped about a sandwich.

Luckily, the guy begins to sing- and his voice is beautiful, a tone Akaashi can’t describe precisely, but the guy hits the notes with ease, in tune, and has that feeling of rawness in the colour of his voice.

The song sounded vaguely familiar, but Akaashi wasn't going to squeeze his brains to try to remember when and where he listened to it, because right now, he’s too busy looking at the guy and he feels breathless, kind of dumbfounded.

The boy is around his age, possibly a bit taller than him, quite buff. He's wearing black trousers, and boots that look too warm for a day like this, although he seemed comfortable, a white dress shirt and a black vest, that in Akaashi’s opinion, sticks to his body just fine.

From where he is sitting, he can see that the boy has his ears pierced, and is wearing small hoop earrings in each lobe and, apparently, a ring on his thumb. He also has, quite literally, the craziest hair and hairstyle Akaashi has ever seen. Honestly, he feels hypnotized looking and listening to the boy.

“Well, I hope I didn’t bother anyone, I just wanted to brighten your ride with a little of music for the soul. Any donation will be very much welcomed, thank you!” he says, and smiles and oh, that’s a pretty smile.

All the passengers seemed to like his performance, because he has to stop several times to receive generous donations before reaching the side of the train car where Akaashi was.

Before the boy arrives, Akaashi gets a couple of bills from his wallet. He stretches out his hand to the boy as he gets closer.

“Oh, thank you so much, bud!” the boy tells him, taking the bills “No one’s given me so much money ever- eh! Are you okay? You look a little pale- oh,” Akaashi glances from his fingers stained with gold and light yellow, to the boy’s hand stained with calypso blended with indigo.

Their eyes finally meet, Akaashi is gaping, silent for a moment until the boy in front of him jumps and shouts excited with joy.

“Ah, I finally found you! I’ve been looking for you for days!” he hastily puts the money inside his pockets and starts to unbutton the sleeve of his left arm and lifts it, revealing a completely marked elbow with calypso that blends with the indigo in the edges; Akaashi thinks of violets.

The boy continues with an almost unintelligible and excited babble, “My best friend laughed at me for, like, a week -the idiot- when I showed him my mark and told him I elbowed someone in the subway and I didn’t remember how they looked and who they were. So, I decided to sing in the subway in hopes of finding you and all these days have been a disappointment and I felt bad when I went home and I had nothing, but not anymore! I found you! And wow I didn’t think you’d be so pretty!” the boy laughs, and Akaashi isn’t sure if his face is completely flushed because of what he just heard, or because he's aware they’ve drawn almost all the passenger’s attention, who are commenting approvingly in murmurs.

But he doesn’t mind, because after a long time, he feels grateful for whatever divine force that has chosen the boy in front of him with glowing amber eyes, as his soulmate.

**Author's Note:**

> the title comes from [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0atZQSUE80)
> 
> if you have any questions, want me to share some hc's or just want to cry/scream with me bc haikyuu!!, you can find me [here](http://bokuakatrash.tumblr.com/) (´∀｀）


End file.
